Archive - Sep 23, 2011
By
Wendilyn Grasseschi - Times Staff Writer
âItâs been a long time coming.â
Thatâs what Mammoth Elementary School Principal Roseanne Lampariello said after learning that her school had jumped 32 points in their state test scores last year.
For anyone in academics, 32 points in one year is a lot. In addition, the 32 points brought the scores past the magical 800 Academic Performance Index number used to determine whether meeting state educational standards â or not.
By
Leslie Willoughby - For the Times
That historic spike occurred in Mammoth Lakes at the Mono County Department of Social Services this spring. Where normally 15 people seek relief daily, they numbered up to 90, with the majority applying for the CalFresh food program.
Some had never before experienced poverty.
âYouâll see people that are so uncomfortable that I just want to say they break your heart because you know they have really hit a hard time,â said Julie Tiede, Director of Social Services. âYou know they donât want to be there.â
The bear that was tagged in Yosemite but wandered over to the Eastside has an amazing range. Heâs been spotted in Lundy Canyon, Twin Lakes, June Lake and around Mammoth. Heâs easy to spot because of a yellow tag on his ear. Heâs been well behaved say wildlife specialists and has earned the nickname âYosemite Sam.â ...
Says Dan Dawson of the Valentine Reserve: âThere is an abundance of natural food this year.â Berries and currants abound and the bears are lovinâ it. ...
By
George Shirk - Times Senior Writer
âIâd like to try yoga.â
Fido lay at my feet, watching a yoga program on television.
âWell, itâs not unheard of,â I said. âPeople and dogs who do yoga together call it doga. They swear by it.â
âTell me more, please,â Fido said.
âI will, but only if you tell me about this wild-hair of an idea first.â
âOh, I donât know, but I figure winterâs coming up pretty soon. There will be lots of days that just wonât be very pleasant outdoors, so Iâm looking for something to do in here.â
âFair enough, Fido.â
He leapt to his feet.
âHey hey hey hey! When can we start?â
By
George Shirk - Times Senior Writer
Spike Todd likes to tell a story about his brother Bob.
When they were kids in Southern California, Spike says, the two brothers shared a bedroom and a small black-and-white television. They were devoted Angels fans and devoted Lakers fans.
Spike, the owner of Mammoth Liquor, swears that Bob used to do sports play-by-play in his sleep. This when Bob was about 10 or 11.
By
George Shirk - Times Senior Writer
Itâs not as if anyone in his or her right mind would want to make the Everest Challenge any tougher than it already is.
Yet nobody has ever accused Alan Jacoby, of Mammoth, as being in his right mind.
âGoal setting and achievement is like a drug,â said Jacoby, a volunteer at Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra and an entrant in this weekendâs Everest Challenge.
Jacoby, however, said he is going to attempt the ride on a singlespeed mountain bike.
âHelping others erase barriers only makes you want to go out and test your own limits,â he said.
Yeah but âŠ
